Saving his life

Chapter 14

Gazing up at the crack in the trees, I admired the bright green leaves that were covering the sun from my eyes. Leon’s hand scooped my head from the ground and held me close to him.

“Maria!” He called out and my eyes met his, that were flickering with guilt and worry. His tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked down at me helplessly. He looked around for Charlotte and Carlos, but there were no sign of them. 

“f**k!” He exclaimed in panic. I reached up and stroked his cheeks, wiping the tears from his skin.

“Am I going to die?” I asked him, scared of what awaits me. 

“No hermosa” he sniffed, shaking his head frantically.

“I won’t let you” he reminded me of the words I said to him when we first met.

“We did it, we got justice!” I choked on my words and he shushed me.

“Baby, don’t talk” he whispered and placed his forehead to mine. 

“Te amo Leonardo” I groaned which caused him to close his eyes and weep. 

“Don’t do that Maria, don’t say it as if you’re saying goodbye” he sobbed and I kissed him gently. I heard Carlos and Charlotte jogging over. Carlos was groaning in pain, but he gasped when he saw the tragic scenario in front of him.

“Maria! s**t! Carlos get help!” Charlotte panicked. I heard scuffling around my head that was still pressed against Leon’s. 

“Gimme your shirt!” Charlotte demanded and Leon moved away, tugging his shirt over his head. Charlotte lifted the fabric covering my wound and I watched Leon’s eyes widen in shock. He glanced over at Charlotte, who paid him no attention. She scrunched his shirt up into a ball and pressed it against my side. I screamed in pain as she increased the pressure. 

“I know sweetie, but it has to be done” she responded, seeming as though she knew what she was doing. Carlos jogged back over and said “they’re on their way, I’ll go and grab the car!”. He disappeared once again and Charlotte gave Leon a look of warning. 

“We can’t move her Leon, not until the paramedics get here” she explained and Leon sighed. 

“But how are they going to get this far into the woods?” He asked.

“They have air ambulances” she informed him and his eyes lowered onto my wound. He nodded, agreeing with Charlotte’s suggestion to not move me. I started coughing and struggled to catch my breath.

“Tranquila hermosa” he whispered, trying to calm my breathing.

“Did he get you to?” I muttered and he shook his head, smiling at me with tears falling from his eyes.

“No hermosa, you saved me once again” he grinned and I smiled back at him, relieved he was okay. I heard the sound of the helicopter creeping closer in the distance. Leon sighed deeply “it’s about f*****g time!”. I felt my body turn cold and the pain of my wound started to drift away. I was falling unconscious and I didn’t know if I was going to wake up again. I grabbed Leon’s hand and squeezed it as tight as I could.

“I love you so much” I whispered and he suddenly realised the severity of my situation. 

“Maria? Maria! Don’t close your eyes hermosa” he demanded and my gaze moved towards the trees once more that were swaying from the propellers of the helicopter. The paramedics started descending from the aircraft and I took one more glance at Leon, before I finally feel unconscious.  

When everything went dark, I saw Miguel standing there with blood all over his clothes. He was holding his shotgun, limp in his arms and smiling at me. When I looked down at the wooden peer, I saw Leonardo laying there, lifeless. He had a gunshot wound to his chest and the planks of wood beneath him were soaked in his blood. Miguel laughed sadistically and I screamed out in pain. I dashed towards him in anger and he rose the barrel of the gun to my face. Without hesitating, he pulled the trigger and causing me to jolt.

I woke up, hyperventilating in panic. Leon’s sweet Spanish accent filled my ears and calmed me down.

“Maria! It’s okay baby” he exclaimed, leaning over and holding me close to his chest. My breathing began to slow down as he stroked my hair to comfort me. 

“It’s okay hermosa, you’re safe” he gently whispered. I closed my eyes and inhaled his sweet smell. He took my cheek in his hand and kissed my lips desperately. When he pulled away, I gazed into his deep brown eyes. 

“Miguel?” I managed grunt and Leon’s mouth curved slightly.

“He’s dead hermosa” he reassured me and I let out a sigh of relief. 

“What about his brother?” I asked him and he lowered his gaze to the hospital bed. 

“He got away” he admitted. I frowned and tensed my brows in shock.

“What do you mean? How?” The panic returned to my body. I had killed José’s brother, if he survived then I know for a fact he will be after revenge. 

“Charlotte and Carlos left him semi unconscious by the peer, after you were taken away in the air ambulance, they went back to finish him off. By the time they got back there, he was gone” Leon told me and a cold chill shivered down my spine. The sounds of the machines in the hospital were distracting. I looked around the basic hospital room I was in. I hated hospitals, I just wanted to leave with Leon and get back to our little bubble we were living in. I tried to sit up but yelled in pain. Leon desperately tried to get me to stop moving by holding my shoulder.

“Don’t move Maria, you need to recover” he instructed, gazing down at the huge bandage that covered my side. 

“You had to have an operation, you lost too much blood and they needed to attend to the gunshot wound” he explained. Guilt washed over him and he sat back in the chair beside the bed, clasping his hands together and leaning his elbows on his knees. He sighed deeply and looked at me.

“You could have died Maria. I thought... you closed your eyes... I thought I’d lost you” his tone was full of disappointment and guilt. I could tell he was blaming himself for what had happened. He hadn’t done anything wrong, it was all me. I placed my hand out to him and faced my palm upwards to indicate for him to hold my hand. He took my hand in his and kissed it sweetly.

“I’d have done it all over again if it meant that you were still breathing” I confessed and Leon’s expression turned irritable. 

“Don’t say that Maria” he snapped.

“If I’d have lost you, I would never have forgiven myself” he continued and then took in a deep breath. 

“This isn’t working Maria” he suddenly blurted out. I gasped in shock, appalled by his sudden change of heart.

“What are you talking about?” I snarled, he wouldn’t look at me.

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep you safe from the life that I live”he confessed.

“Please don’t Leonardo. Don’t say it” I begged him but my words fell on deaf ears.

“I need to let you go”